OPINION

Grateful to be here

New rallies are the worst medicine for Thailand. Tourism and the economy are declining and unemployment is increasing.

What were the achievements of the last few rallies?

Did poor people have more money in their pockets?

Will these new rallies bring more happiness and resolve the country's complex problems?

It is difficult to understand why some people, including "farangs", lambast the current government and glorify previous governments just because they were "democratically" elected, all the while ignoring or forgetting the reasons behind the several last rallies.

They should compare Thailand's well-being with other countries of the world, many of which have quite unsurmountable troubles.

My conclusion is that Thailand is one of the most beautiful countries to live in. A perfect country and government exist nowhere.

Law not for everyone

Re: "FFP faces legal strife over rally", (BP, Dec 16).

Why did they not prepare any legal action against the perpetrators of coups which happened in the past, for breaking the highest law in the country at the respective times?

For the most unlawful organisations in the country, there never existed any laws.

Did it work?

Re: "Much ado about noise," PostBag, Dec 11.

Eric Bahrt takes me to task for disrespecting Thai culture by citing noise as an inalienable part of it. I was trying to be humourous, but that may have escaped Mr Bahrt's notice.

So far as Thai culture goes, there are many aspects of it that I love (the food), many that I respect (Thai Buddhism), and a few that I have no use for whatsoever (the traffic). If the first and second categories did not predominate, I would not have stayed here for over 30 years.

But Mr Bahrt makes one remark that arouses my curiosity. When the elderly Thai man asked the bar next door to turn down their music so that he could get some sleep, did the bar in fact comply?

Just wondering.

I stand with Greta

I feel very sad for the youth of the world who have been badly let down by many of the delegates to the recent climate change conference in Madrid. Apparently the phrase that I heard as a child -- "A child should be seen, but not heard" -- is still the operative philosophy of many adults.

I guess children will have to go on depending on that sassy little Swedish "brat" who talks back to adults to be heard in this world.

I hope she wins the Nobel Peace Prize for which she has been nominated.

Targeted spin

We have had a couple of letters recently, in the Bangkok Post, from the Chinese embassy and Chinese ambassador Lyu Jian.

To be honest, I stopped reading them after a couple of paragraphs.

Why?

To me it is the usual denial (or clarification) from a Chinese "official source".

Am I biased? Maybe. But China's track record is truly deplorable.

Is China trying to put this spin on events just in Asian countries, or are Chinese ambassadors submitting letters into newspapers all over the world?

Somehow I do not think the Western world is as gullible and needy of Chinese "explanations".